Uncoupling device.



C. A. CARSCADIN 8; G. A. WOODMAN= I UNCOUPLING DEVICE.

. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1914.

== 1, 141,61 2, Patented June 1, 1915.

1 UNITED srnrns rarnnr QFFICE.

UHARLESA. CABSGADIN AND GEORGE A. WOODMAN OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

UnooUrLme DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented J une 1, 1915.

Application filed January 31, 1914. Serial No. 815,658.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. CARSCA- DIN and GEORGE A. WoooMAN, citizens of the United States, both residing at Chicago, in b the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have Jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Uncoupling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

, Our invention relates to improvements in uncoupling devices of that class which are mounted on railway cars and the like and which are adapted to be operated to release the locking pin of the coupler without requiring the brakeman to go between the cars.

Numerous uncoupling devices constructed prior to our invention have incorporated in 1 their construction a number of links, clevises and the like which have been more or less easily remoVedby farmers, teamsters and others having use for these parts. These devices have also been the source of further inconvenience as the flexible connection thus v provided between the operating rod and the locking pin has frequently become jammed or displaced and the eiiiciency of -the device thereby materially impaired. Our invention aims to overcome these. disadvantages and provide anuncoupling device, the parts of which will be interlocked each with the others, so that removal of any of them without disconnecting the entire uncoupling device from the car'will be impossible and which parts shall be so constructed and arranged that-they will not become displaced or jammed in service.

A-further object of our invention is the provision of an uncoupling device, the parts of which may be cheaply constructed and readily assembled.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparentfrom the following description as it is better understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodi- 'me nt thereof.

a section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 shows a somewhat slightly modined form of connecting mem- The embodiment of our invention dis-'- closed in the drawing consists primarily of an operating rod 10, an outer bracket 11, an inner bracket 12 and a member 13 provided to connect the operating rod with the locking pin 14 of the coupler 15. In the present instance the operating rod consists of a main body portion 16 which is carried by the brackets 11 and 12. and formed at one end to providean operating arm 17 and at the other end to provide a lifting arm 18 which is offset by an inclined portion 19 from the main body portion 16. The main bodv portion 16 of the operating rod is secured adiacent' and across the end of the car by brackets 11 and 12 and the portion 19 connecting the lifting arm to this main body portion extends downwardly and outwardly from the car to dispose the lifting arm di rectly abovefthe locking pin of the coupler and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the car. The lifting arm is preferably .disoosedhorizontally or substantially hori-' zontallv and the locking pin 14. is connected to it by the connecting member 13 which, as

will be later explained, slidably embraces this lifting arm. In the present instance this member 13 consists of a rod of iron, steel or other suitable material bent up wardly, as shown in Figs. 4, 5' and 6, at each end of a central portion 22. Each of the upwardly bent portions 23 and 24 thus provided are preferably formed to slidably embrace the lifting arm 18 of the operating.

rod, one of these portions being bent to pro, vide a closed eye 25 through which the lifting arm is threaded and the other a hook 26 bent to fit nicely over this arm. The extremity of the lifting arm 18 is upturned at 27V to prevent the connecting member 13 from being disconnected therewith. If desired both upwardly extending portions may be bent to provide hooks 26, as seenfin Fig.

I, which will effectively preventthedisconnection of the parts as. there must-be too slight angular relative movement between the rod and connecting member to permit disconnection of the hooks from the lifting arm. v o

When the parts are assembled the hook 26 of the connecting member 13 is first threaded through the eye of the locking pin and the serted through the eye of the connecting member. The lifting arm 18 is engaged in the book 26 and the operating rodsecured by the brackets to the car. One of these brackets, preferably the inner one 12, is made extensible and in the present instance consists of a pair of outwardly extending arms 28 carrying between them a horizontally movable slide 29 provided with a slot 31 through which the operating rod is disposed. "The opening in the other or outer bracket 11 is of sufiicient size to permit the operating rod to swing about it as a center when the coupler head moves longitudinally of the car in-service.

The movement of the coupler head trans- I verselyofthe car body, as occurs when the cars travel around curves in the road, is permitted by the sliding connection between the lifting arm and the connecting member 13 in part and' in 'part also by the horizontal movement of the operating rod, the componentof the swinging movement of the 'couplen'head transversely of the car'bemg "permitted by the connection between the "operating rod and the connecting member and .the component of this movement longitudinally of the car by the extensible con nection between the rod and the car.

1 It will be manifest'that having once been assembled the member- 13 can not be disconnected from the lifting arm of the operatihg rod without first removing the locking pin from the coupler head or without first removing the operating rod from the car body. All of the parts are thus interlocked and impossible of removal without discon- '.nec'ting the entire device from the car or the "locking pin from the coupler.

' The device is simple and cheap in construction andmay be readily assembled and operated.

It will be obvious that ,various changes may be made'in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing' from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages the form herembefor'e' descrlbedbeing'merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

'- We claim:

1 An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising an operating rod adapted to be secured to a car, and a rigid member passing through the eye of the locking pin of the coupler and having its opposite ends looped about saidrod and slidable longitudinally thereof. a

2. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising an operating rod, means for slidably securing said operating rod to the car to permit movementof said'ro'd longitudinally of the car, and means connected to the locking pin of the coupler having its opposite ends "looped about said rod and slidably connected to said rod to move transversely of the car.

3. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising an operating rod adapted to be secured to a car and having a liftingarm offset from the body portion of said rod and disposed substantially horizontally and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the car, and a member engaging the locking pin of the'coupler at its center and slidably einbracing said lifting arm at its ends.

at. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a rod adapted to be secured to a posed substantially horizontally and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the car, a

' rigid member embracing said rod with both ends, anddisposed through the eye of the locking pin of the coupler, said rod being upturned at its end to prevent disengage ment of said rod and member. 1

CHARLES A. CARSCADIN.

GEORGE A. 'WOO'DMAN.

Witnesses: I

WM. 0. BELT,

M. A. KIDDEL. 

